5 Fresh Songs You Might Have Missed (8/14)

I want y'all to be locked in to The DJBooth at all times. Not just because every pageview matters, but because we post a lot of new music and the...

I want y'all to be locked in to The DJBooth at all times. Not just because every pageview matters, but because we post a lot of new music and the thought of you missing what could potentially be your new favorite song keeps me awake at night. I get paid to do this, so it's easy for me to listen to everything we feature, but for you, a student or an adult with a job that isn't as absurd as music writer, we know it's hard to stay that glued to DJBooth. No worries, we've got you covered.

Here are some of the dope DJBooth featured songs from the past seven days you might have missed. You can thank me later.

Now that Mick Jenkins' The Water[s] has dropped, I'll need a new promising up and comer to get excited about. Fittingly, it's another Chicago rapper by the name of Kembe X. Seriously, Chicago, chill the fuck out, you don't need all the rappers. Kembe has been putting out fire like Smokey The Bear lately with cuts that feature young stars like Ab-Soul ("As I Unfold") and Isaiah Rashad ("Caged Bird"), but his most recent venture, "Poker Face", is a solo effort and just might be the most impressive one to date. Kembe's flow is strong, confident, but has a nice little lean to it and he gets better and better as the track progresses is. If you need a new up-and-comer to root for, Kembe is your man. Hop on the bandwagon now while there is still room - could TDE be in his future?

Yo, on the real, Black Milk might be one of the best emcees in the game today; he is without a doubt one of the most underrated as well. Nobody is talking about this track he did with BADBADNOTGOOD, but it is one of the best songs released this summer. At first, I wasn't really feeling the beat, but as soon as Black Milk starts rapping, I fell in love with this effort; the boomin' bass doesn't hurt either. Still, it's all about his flow for me. Lyrics are top notch, but it's his delivery that sells me. No nonsense here, just pure, unadulterated rap from a passionate yet surgical emcee. He finds the balance between precision and passion and the result is a very strong effort. Plus it's free! If you don't download this I can only assume you hate rap and free shit.

Rawer than unprotected sex on a sushi bar! Well$ has come a long way since his first Booth feature. I remember when I first heard his music, it was a little rough around the edges, but the talent was there and it's been awesome to see him grow into the strong, venomous emcee going toe to toe with guys like Mez. It's also exciting because he still hasn't come anywhere near his ceiling. Picking the next rapper to blow up is basically a guessing game, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Well$ move to another level because he has shown huge improvement in such a short time. This is his best effort to date and I think he's just hitting his stride. Love how he blends the vibe banger with some real, bullshit-free lyrics; attribute that do his crisp, biting delivery.

These first three were bangers, so I figure you might want a change of pace. Cure up Dayne Jordan. I've never heard of Dayne before, but it sounds like he's been rapping for years; love the vibe on this and that beat is so great for summer. Speaking of the beat, it was produced by DJ Jazzy Jeff; that's a great look for an unsigned cat like Jordan and he takes full advantage. His ability to make his grind-oriented bars fit over a smooth, breezy beat is really something. Looking at the lyrics, you might expect a hard, relentless beat, but I really like the flavor of the motivational bars over a laid-back, low-key beat; relaxing and motivating at the same time. Dayne, coming out of nowhere, blessing Jazzy Jeff beats and blessing them something proper. Unexpected dopeness; reason number 7,456 why I love DJBooth.

If you are going to sample Damon Harris, of some group called The Temptations, you better be damn sure you do it right. You can't go choppin' up a sampe like a lumberjack or people will end up hating you. Well, I'm happy to report, Jack Freeman does the Chris Rockaway-chopped sample justice. The effort kicks off with a nice 16 from Sean Falyon, but it's Freeman who steals the show. His vocals are smooth and glossy, but have a great soulful sound. I'm not too big on comparisons, but Freeman's ability to fit a hip-hop sound so well reminded me a little of BJ The Chicago Kid. This effort packs a soulful punch and I can't get enough.

Now, these are just five of the many songs featured. I can only do so much, so if you really want to get all the dopeness, ou have to be diligent and do your homework, checking the site early and often. For those slackers, never fear, you can always cheat off of me because these recaps will become a weekly feature. Happy listening.

[Lucas Garrison is a writer for DJBooth.net. His favorite album is “College Dropout,” but you can also tweet him your favorite Migos songs at @LucasDJBooth.]